MAX7219 - Serial Interfac, LED Matrix/Digit Display Driver

Description

The MAX7219 is a compact, serial input/output common-cathode display drivers that interface microcontroller to 7-segment numeric LED displays of up to 8 digits, bar-graph displays, or 64 individual LEDs or 8X8 LED Matrix display. Included on-chip are a BCD code-B decoder, multiplex scan circuitry, segment and digit drivers, and an 8x8 static RAM that stores each digit. Only one external resistor is required to set the segment current for all LEDs.

A convenient 4-wire serial interface (SPI) connects to all common microcontroller. Individual digits may be addressed and updated without rewriting the entire display. The MAX7219 also allow the user to select code-B decoding or no-decode for each digit.

The devices include a 150µA low-power shutdown mode, analog and digital brightness control, a scan-limit register that allows the user to display from 1 to 8 digits, and a test mode that forces all LEDs on.